How to Make $1,000 in ONE DAY with a Sawmill!
At first glance, it might seem outrageous to make $1,000 in a day with a sawmill, but all it takes is some careful planning, attention to detail, and a willingness to get your hands dirty. Making any amount of money through milling or other types of work for that matter starts with your choice of tools, and sawmills can vary wildly in terms of cost and ease of operation.
As with any tool you can purchase, marketing materials may promise one thing, but the reality of the sawmill you buy may differ from that promise. For some, hydraulic features like a log turner or log leveler may be unnecessary, but for others, those speed-increasing features are going to be worth the investment in the long run.
Making money comes down to choosing smart investments that suit your business and the level you are operating within. Sometimes it is worth purchasing a cheaper mill that is lacking in additional features if the lower cost allows you to get milling and making money more quickly. This is especially the case if you have sufficient materials to work with and you just need to get milling as quickly as possible.
It’s also worth noting that sawmills with more electronic and hydraulic parts, especially the latter, can experience more downtime due to malfunctions. For example, if a log is dropped in such a way that it damages a hydraulic mechanism your entire mill is out of commission until it’s replaced. Simplistic systems do require more manual labor, but the trade-off is greater reliability, which translates to consistent earnings over time with a lower upfront cost.
Breaking Down the Logs
There are many different ways to mill a log into lumber, and each method is worth using for its own reasons. This article will break down some of the basic milling methods that are used across the industry.
Live Sawing
Live sawing is the term for creating live edge slabs and is usually the easiest and the quickest milling method. Start by sawing a log approximately halfway through on one face, and then turn it to its opposite side for the rest of it. Remember that this method means leaving the bark on both sides of each slab that you cut, and depending on whether you are selling the slabs or using them for your own business, you may need to edge each piece to get the best value. Additionally, this cut of lumber is prone to warping while drying unless you use equipment like a vacuum kiln.
Cant Sawing
The first cuts with cant sawing are made across the top, bottom, and each of the sides of the log. From there, you square the log down until you reach the center piece referred to as the cant. The cant can be cut down into lumber itself but can also be sold as individual large heavy timber. This method creates the largest amount of board feet per day and can save a lot of time when milling, but it does require you to have a method to deal with the cant.
Plain Sawing
Plain sawing is very similar to cant sawing as the first part of the process is functionally identical. However, instead of the cant being left as one solid piece, you will rotate it and saw it to yield the maximum amount of lumber possible. Similar to the other methods listed in this article, depending on your needs you may leave the live edge on your lumber or you may need to edge it, depending on whether you plan to use it or sell it. This milling method carries a lot of similarities with grade sawing, as both methods use the entirety of the log to create as much material as possible, and if time is not an issue it creates the highest amount of lumber per log which can be ideal for high-quality types of wood.
Note that there are still many more ways to mill lumber, and the best method for you will depend heavily on the type of wood you’re working with, the type of mill you have, as well as a whole host of other conditions. Research the method that will work best for your specific situation to maximize your potential profit.
Calculating your Potential Earnings
Translating all of the information above into actual earnings is how you can determine your potential revenue. Once you have an understanding of the numbers involved, it becomes much easier to work toward the goal of $1,000 in a day of milling.
For example, if Justin is a sawmill owner in the Pacific Northwest and he is able to sell his boards for $18 per board, and he has 41 boards in a stack, he has $738 in lumber before tax. If he also milled nine two-by-tens, which sell for $30 per board, equalling $270 before tax, and five two-by-ten-twelve boards, which sell for $20 each, he gets a grand total of $1,108 before tax.
Keep in mind that in many instances, sawmill owners need to pay to get their logs in the first place. So using our above example, Justin pays about $1,200 for a load of logs and is advised by the logger that there is approximately 5000 potential board feet per load. In his area, mills pay what is referred to as a 50% overrun, which equates to a 50% discount on a log. This means that Justin has paid for 2500 board feet but actually gets double that amount in usable material.
While these examples are dependent on many factors including location, materials, equipment, transportation, and more, it can be a relatively simple process to determine your earnings relative to your costs to get a greater understanding of your business, and how to maximize your profits. Take the time to do the calculations on every step of the process and you will find yourself pulling in $1,000 per day more often than you think!